The global economic slowdown has not spared British Queen Elizabeth II as the value of her private estate fell by £75 million in 2008-09 due to a crash in property and investment markets. The Queen lost almost £75 million as her estate’s value went down to £322 million. However, the income the Monarchy received from the Duchy, which is used to fund her public and private activities, increased by 5.4% from £12.6 million to £13.3 million. “We have suffered a substantial fall in the capital value of our assets during the year, principally in the commercial property and financial investment portfolios, Lord Shuttleworth, chairman of the Duchy’s council, said in a statement on Thursday.

Angelina Jolie on Thursday visited a settlement for displaced Iraqis in northwest Baghdad in her role as a goodwill ambassador for UNHCR. The actor met four families whose members said their children could not go to school and they could not afford to pay for medical treatment, the UN refugee agency said. Jolie said during her one-day trip that there is progress in returning Iraqis to their homes after years of war, but more needs to be done, according to UNHCR.

This is a moment where things seem to be improving on the ground, but Iraqis need a lot of support and help to rebuild their lives, the agency quoted Jolie as saying. It was the actor's third trip to Iraq.

UNHCR estimates that 1.6 million Iraqis were displaced within the country by sectarian violence, and that 300,000 have returned home amid improving security. It says hundreds of thousands of Iraqi refugees live in neighboring countries, mostly in Syria and Jordan.

Desi girl Priyanka Chopra(Bollywood actress) got a cool 27th birthday gift from her proud parents. While the world is showering her with love, her parents, it seems, are showering her with jewellery. The Fashion star revealed her parents' gift to her on her Twitter page, she said, "My parents got me a diamond belly button ring for my bday."She may not have a steady boyfriend who is gifting her diamonds, but that hardly contained her excitement. She wrote on Twitter that she has already put the ring to use. Currently, Priyanka is working towards promoting her upcoming film Kamniey, in which she stars opposite Shahid Kapur who was rumoured to be her boyfriend.

A passenger on board an IndiGo Airlines flight from Delhi to Mumbai created a scare on Thursday when he falsely claimed there was a bomb in the aircraft and asked the crew to divert the plane to Pakistan. According to a Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) official, the passenger, later identified as Sanjay Malik, created panic at around 11.45am when the flight 6E 181 was on its final approach to the Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport. The captain of the aircraft alerted the air traffic control of Mumbai airport. A Quick Response Team of the CISF, a paramilitary force that guards airports and important industrial installations across the country, was deployed at the airport.

The team took over the aircraft as soon as it landed at around 11.45am and checked it but could not find any bomb.The CISF detained the passenger and later handed him over to Mumbai Police who were in the process of questioning him to find out his motive. The CISF official said the passenger seemed mentally disturbed.

For the IndiGo airlines, this was the second instance of panic midair. On Feb 2, its flight E 664 made an emergency landing at Delhi's Indira Gandhi International Airport as three passengers created a hijack scare during the flight.

A massive 7.8 magnitude earthquake last week has moved the south of New Zealand closer to Australia, scientists said on Wednesday.With the countries separated by the 2,250-kilometre-wide (1,400-mile-wide) Tasman Sea, the 30 centimetre (12 inch) closing of the gap in New Zealand's southwest won't make much difference.

But earthquake scientist Ken Gledhill of GNS Science said the shift illustrated the huge force of the tremor, the biggest in the world so far this year."Basically, New Zealand just got a little bit bigger is another way to think about it," he said.While the southwest of the South Island moved about 30 centimetres closer to Australia, the east coast of the island moved only one centimetre westwards, he said.

The biggest quake in New Zealand in 78 years caused only slight damage to buildings and property when it struck the remote southwest Fiordland region of the South Island last Thursday.A small tsunami was generated by the earthquake, with a tide gauge on the West Coast of New Zealand recording a wave of one metre.

New Zealand has so many outstanding places to visit that it is difficult to choose among them. Be sure to note that the period of the seasons in the Southern Hemisphere is the opposite of the Northern Hemisphere. During our summer, the Kiwis are experiencing winter. So if you want to ski in Queenstown, July and August can be the heart of the season. A trip to New Zealand should cover the country's two major islands, known simply as the North Island and the South Island. Both islands are interesting, but the southern island contains a lot of tourist attractions. Major portion of the film Lord of the rings was taken in this island only. There tourist companies that take you to those filiming locations

The South IslandThe South Island is sparsely populated and brimming with outdoor adventure. You may see landscapes and scenery that you have not seen before, packaged in the most beautiful and moving of environments.One popular way to see the South Island is a drive that starts at Christchurch, heads to Mt. Cook, down to Queenstown, over to Fiordlands NP, up through Westland NP, and crossing to the North Island using the ferry from Picton to Wellington.

Fiordland National ParkNew Zealand is famous for it’s national parks and there are heaps to explore. We recommend the Fiordland National Park. A nominated World Heritage area on the south west corner of the South Island of New Zealand. It’s New Zealand’s largest National Park as well as the largest National Park in the world. The scenery is breathtaking you wont believe until you see for yourself. You will witness steep mountains, waterfalls and exotic rainforests.

chasm Bridge Fiordland

Within the Fiordland National Park you will experience New Zealand’s most beautiful landscape - Milford Sound and Doubtful Sound which attracts thousand of visitors every day. Other attractions include the Routeburn and Milford tracks, two of New Zealand’s Great Walks which pass through 32 kilometres of Fiordland National Parks. There is also the 580 meter high Sutherland Falls to see on the Milford Track, one of thousands of waterfalls in the park.

Creek Falls

Milford SoundMilford sound is Awesome, the mountains tower to 6,000 feet and the water looks still and deep. The main spot is Mitre Peak at 6,024 feet. You can take a boat trip down the sound to the Tasman Sea surrounded by the towering peaks of the majestic Fiordland National Park. This has to be one of the highlights of this fantastic experience and a great way to discover the many sights on offer.Milford Sound is the Jewel of the Fiordland of New Zealand. It is said by many who have visited to be one of the most beautiful places on earth and in fact it has been voted one of the worlds top travel destinations and New Zealand’s most famous tourist destination. It is a must see for any visitor coming to New Zealand.Don’t forget to bring your camera as you will get some amazing breathtaking photos of this incredible place.

Doubtful Sound Doubtful Sound is the second largest of the 14 fjords in Fiordland National Park and is three times longer and ten times larger than Milford Sound. Doubtful Sound is recognized for its wilderness nature and wildlife.It is recommended you take a cruise across Lake Manapouri (New Zealand’s prettiest lakes) to West Arm of the Lake then coach over the Wilmot Pass Road, stopping along the way at the Wilmot Pass lookout point to experience some breath taking views of Doubtful Sound. Stop by at Deep Cove, an arm of Doubtful Sound and take a tour of the highly impressive Manapouri Underground Power Station (New Zealand’s largest hydroelectric power station)The cruise around Doubtful Sound is truly awesome and you will get to enjoy the views of pristine forest, pure rock walls and falling waterfalls. Doubtful Sound really does have breath taking scenery you will never forget.Wildlife found in Doubtful Sound includes bottlenose dolphins, New Zealand fur seals and Fiordland crested penguins.

Mount CookMount Cook is the highest Mountain in New Zealand and a popular tourist destination. Mt Cook National Park located in the Canterbury region is another National Park that you must see.Mt Cook and its neighboring area is an alpine park that is part of the South Westland World Heritage area. It has the world?s longest ski run, down the Tasman Glacier and Hooker Glacier. The park does not have a lot of trees or plants and is best portrayed as a snow covered rocky setting. The Ball Pass here is a challenging 3-day alpine crossing of the Mount Cook Range and allows close views of New Zealand’s highest mountains.

The Latin Quarter is Paris' traditional center of great thinking. Some of the world's most important artists, philosophers, and writers have passed through the area throughout history, frequenting the centuries-old Sorbonne University or the many now-legendary cafes around the area. The Latin quarter retains the nostalgic charm of past ages, while still being an important hub of education and ideas to this day. It's also a lush, picturesque area of Paris, with lots of quiet squares and gardens, winding backstreets, and vibrant open-air markets. The Latin Quarter Walk takes us through the heart of Parisian history and touches on everything from Roman ruins to the great intellectuals of France. Enjoy two of the world's most famous cathedrals, one of the world's most famous universities and Paris' most beautiful gardens. This is where Paris began many centuries ago and continues to be one of the most popular areas of the city. Places to visit are

St. ChapelleThe St. Chapelle was commissioned by King Louis IX to house Christ's crown of thorns and was completed on April 26, 1248. The stained glass walls are considered to be among the most impressive in the world. Visitors can either visit the church during the day or enjoy a classical concert there in the evening.

PantheonKing Louis XV vowed that if he recovered from an illness, he would build a church in honor of patron saint of Paris, St. Geneviève. Foundations were laid in 1758, but the building wasn't completed until 1789. In 1851 a French physicist demonstrated the rotation of the earth using a 67 meter pendulum beneath the dome. The Pantheon is the oldest large-scale dome in Rome. It is one of the best preserved of all Roman buildings. It has been in continuous use throughout its history.Notre DameThe most famous cathedral in the world is a masterpiece of Gothic architecture. Construction began in 1163 during the reign on King Louis VII and has stood as a symbol of Paris for almost nine centuries. On the top of the building sit 13 statues; 12 are the apostles and one is a statue of the architect himself.Pointe Zero located just in front of Notre Dame, this is the point where from which all distances in France are measured.

The Seine is a slow-flowing major river and commercial waterway. It is also a tourist attraction, with excursion boats offering sightseeing tours of the Rive Droite and Rive Gauche within the city of Paris. It terminates in the Bay of the Seine region of the English Channel and is navigable by oceanic transports. Over sixty percent of its length from Burgundy near the Swiss Alps is negotiable by commercial riverboats and nearly its whole length is available for recreational boating.There are 37 bridges over the River Seine just within Paris and dozens more spanning the river outside of the city. The average depth of the Seine today at Paris is about eight metres. Until locks were installed to artificially raise the level in the 1800s, however, the river was much shallower within the city most of the time, and consisted only of a small channel of continuous flow bordered by sandy banks. Today depth is tightly controlled and the entire width of the river between the built-up banks on either side is normally filled with water. The average flow of the river is very low, only a few cubic metres per second, but much higher flows are possible during periods of heavy runoff.

You will discover great statues, Monuments and stationed river boats (a couple of them are coffee shops). You will enjoy fantastic views on the river and key monuments, such as the Louvre and Notre-Dame. Don't forget that Paris is the largest and most important city on the river.

LOUVREOne of the largest and most visited museums in the world, and possibly the most famous of them all. Louvre is one of Paris's must-visit place. The Louvre was built in several stages. It was first built in the 16th century when the Royal family started to move near the fortress of the Louvre.The name of the main architect was Pierre Lescot, who was appointed in 1546 by the king. The immense building had 2 courtyards and was 2 stories high. Its architecture combines French and Italian features. About a decade later, Catherine de Medici started with another palace project, the Tuileries on the west side of the Louvre. Later, during the second empire, between 1853 and 1857, the Louvre was massively extended by Visconti and Lefuel.The latest addition to the Louvre was the glass pyramid entrance, one of the finest examples of a combination of mordern and historic architecture.The last buildings of the palace were built in the second half of the 19th century. It is only in 1989 that an important addition to the Louvre has been completed – a 70 x 70 meters big, underground reception hall for the visitors of the museum, lit with the natural coming from the glass pyramid built on its roof.Designed by American Chinese architect Ieoh Ming Pei, the pyramid has a square base with each side 35 meters long. It is covered by almost 700 glass panes and the whole mythology has been created around their exact number (678 according to some people, 666 according to the others), as having a special meaning, or a magic power.

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, Novel was released on 16 July 2005. It was the ultimate of the seven novels from British author J. K. Rowling's popular Harry Potter series. Set during Harry Potter's sixth year at Hogwarts, the novel explores Lord Voldemort's past, and Harry's preparations for the final battle amidst emerging romantic relationships and the emotional confusions and conflict resolutions characteristic of mid-adolescence.The book sold nine million copies in the first 24 hours after its release. Now it is to be released in India on July 17. Catch the magical movie onscreen from 17th.

Returning to Hogwarts for his sixth year, Harry is convinced, as ever, that Draco Malfoy is up to no good. But this time he's right. Malfoy has been given a mysterious directive from Voldemort himself, and Professor Snape has vowed to help him. As Malfoy completes a mysterious task in a hidden corner of the castle, Harry and Dumbledore delve into memories of Voldemort's past, hoping to discover the key to destroying him for good.

Udaipur known as the "Venice of the East", was voted the world's best city for travellers in 2009 in an online poll by Travel and Leisure magazine, trumping last year's winner Bangkok. The island of Bali in Indonesia topped the Galapagos to be named best island in the annual poll, in which casual and laid-back destinations prevailed. The complete "World's Best Awards" is available on www.travelandleisure.com . Some of the highlights are,

Here is the latest edition of PlayBoy US edition. Catch your favorite Olivia Munn and Monica Hansen.Download it from here or the other link is http://www.uploading.com/files/qkh7gf4v/playboy_2009_7_8.rar.html